A Friendship Caught On Fire
by anniebethchase
Summary: Lady Annabeth is the daughter of one of the richest people in the country. But Annabeth doesn't want that life. Instead of spending her time going to dinner parties and balls to please her mother, Annabeth would much rather be having adventures with her best friend; a certain green eyed boy whom her mother wants to keep her away from. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay guys! So this is a story based on the one shot I wrote, which has the same title. It doesn't matter if you haven't read it though, in fact, it's probably better if you haven't. I don't think that this is my best writing, but if you guys like it enough I'll continue with the story!**

**A FRIENDSHIP CAUGHT ON**** FIRE**

_One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood - Lucius Annaeus Seneca_

Annabeth's POV

"Lady Annabeth, are you ready? We're leaving in a minute!" I heard my maid Rachel call from outside my bedroom door. I placed my architecture book on my nightstand, jumped off my four-poster bed - making sure I didn't crease my new dress - and made my way downstairs as quickly as I could.

I'd been waiting for today for a long time. My mother had a meeting with Lord Zeus from Province 1, and it would last the whole weekend, which meant that I could spend the whole time with my best friend Thalia.

I've known Thalia since I was seven, when I first went to Province 1 with my mother. We didn't get along at first; we argued a lot. I suppose that was mainly because we were both always too stubborn to admit that we were wrong about something, and I guess that still hasn't changed, even though it's five years later.

I'm twelve now, and Thalia's thirteen. I don't get to see her very often because she lives so far away from my province, and the days when I do see her are really great.

Our country is divided up into twelve provinces; seven of which are ruled by Lords, the other five by Ladies. My mother is Lady Athena of Province 6, which is where I've lived all my life.

So today, even though I had to get up early, I was really excited. I didn't go to other provinces very often, since most of the Lords and Ladies don't get along very well. But that didn't matter because I could spend the whole weekend with my best friend.

I think a few other Lords and Ladies are going to the meeting too, so I've figured it must be quite important. I never know what anything like that's about though; my mother says I won't understand because I'm only twelve.

It's so annoying though! She doesn't understand that I'm mature for my age! I don't act like other twelve year olds; I spend most of my time either in lessons with my governess or reading in our palace's library.

Reading is my favourite thing in the whole world. I can't read very well because the words all get jumbled up in my head, but I get past it. I read whatever I can get my hands on, which is easy if you see how big the library is. It has three stories and thousands of different books, which means I can read about anything and everything.

My favourite subject is architecture though. I love to look at buildings, especially the palace. There are so many rooms in there that I get lost every time I try to look around. The palace is nothing compared to the gardens though; the gardens seem endless.

"Come on Annabeth, your mother is waiting!" Rachel called again, though her voice sounded more impatient.

"Okay, I'm ready!" I called back, and hurried down to the front of the palace, where the carriage was waiting for me.

The journey to Province 1 was long and boring. I read a book about old buildings the whole way there, and my mother read through some of her papers in preparation for the big meeting. Neither of us said a word to each other the whole way there, except a few times when she told me to sit up straighter, or something like that.

You see, my mother's very much into propriety and acting ladylike. So much so that it's annoying. I don't want to be a proper Lady like I'm supposed to be, I want to do something worthwhile when I grow up. I can't imagine myself marrying a rich Lord like I'm expected to, and order servants about all day.

I gazed out of the window for a while as we travelled through the different provinces, making our way to Province 1. Everything was so different to where I lived. The trees seemed greener, the sky bluer, but the people in the villages we went through didn't seem as happy. I guess that's because Lord Zeus is pretty strict, but I didn't see why they couldn't be enjoying themselves.

My eyes widened in awe as we entered the front gates of the palace; it was huge. Much larger than our palace in Province 6. There were at least seven floors, and the main door was white with golden lightning bolts surrounding it. There was a magnificent fountain surrounded by a rainbow coloured flowerbed in the middle of the driveway, and there were more flowerbeds adjacent to the bottom walls of the palace.

Yes, I'd been here before, but that doesn't mean I can't still marvel at the palace's beauty every time I visit.

I could see Thalia's family on the steps in front of the main door; Lord Zeus, Lady _, Thalia, and her younger brother Jason. They were an odd looking family; Thalia with her jet black, spiky hair and electric blue eyes, Jason with his golden hair and Lord Zeus with his grey beard. For the most powerful family in the country, they looked pretty weird.

Thalia was waving like a maniac at me, and I resisted the urge to wave back like a madman, because I knew my mother would disapprove. She's like that. Always telling me to behave like a lady; sit up straighter, pronounce my words more, be more gracious with my actions. She was an extremely pushy parent, with her everything had to be perfect.

She hasn't quite understood that I'm never going to be perfect yet.

"Ah Lady Athena, we are honoured to have you here this weekend" Lord Zeus told my mother.

"Why thank you my Lord, I am most grateful that you invited us here" she replied.

"Oh yes, this must be your daughter, Lady Annabeth is it?" he said, as if he had never met me before, which was pretty ridiculous, seeing as his daughter is my best friend.

I hid my annoyance and curtseyed to Lord Zeus, whilst Thalia snickered behind him. I knew she could tell that I thought he was ridiculous, but it didn't really matter because Thalia did too.

She'd never got along very well with her father, similarly to how I've never gotten along with my mother I suppose. She claims that he favours Jason over her, and that he wishes that Thalia had been a boy.

I've never really had that problem. I've got three brothers; one older and two younger.

My elder brother is called Malcolm, and he's sixteen; four years older than me. I like Malcolm; he understands that I don't really want to be a lady when I grow up, that I want to be someone different. Secretly, I think he wants to be an architect like me, but he can't because he's first in line to inherit our father's title.

My two younger brothers are twins, and they're called Matthew and Robert, but we call Robert Bobby. They're annoying. They're nine, and they constantly steal my stuff. All my books, all my notepads, everything! They get away with everything though, it's not fair.

In spite of that, I love my brothers. But I am glad that they're not away with us this weekend, I didn't want them disrupting my time with Thalia.

We were guided through the main hall (which, I must say, was enormous) and into what looked like a meeting room. There were twelve seats arranged in a semicircle, one for each Lord or Lady, I presume.

Before I could have a proper look around, Thalia grabbed my arm and hoisted me upstairs towards her room.

"Annie! I haven't seen you in forever! How are you?" she asked.

I frowned, annoyed. "Thals, how many times have I told you? Do. Not. Call. Me. Annie!"

She laughed in response. "Not enough, obviously."

I rolled my eyes at her; that was such a typical Thalia thing to say.

"You look great though" she told me, but I could tell she wasn't being serious. Thalia knew how much I hated wearing dresses, and she wasn't a fan of them either.

"Hey, you do too" I replied, and she frowned in frustration. Thalia was wearing a floor length, light blue day dress, and I could tell that she hated it. As she turned to walk into her room, I caught a glimpse of her secret biker boots on her feet. She hated wearing anything but them, which is why; when she was forced to wear a dress (which was very often) she opted for one that was floor length, so she could wear her beloved boots.

"There are some other children of the Lords and Ladies here too you know, since Lord Hades, Lord Hermes and Lady Demeter are all here too" Thalia told me.

"Oh, really? I don't think I've ever met any of them before, my mom doesn't really like going to other provinces if she can help it, and the Lords and Ladies never tend to take their children on business trips."

"Yeah I know; I was surprised when my dad told me that you were coming this weekend. Oh well, lucky for you, right Annie?"

I swear she did that just to annoy me.

"How many times Thals? Stop calling me Annie!"

Percy's POV

It was weird being in a different province. Not good different though, bad different.

Province 1, as far as I'm aware, is nowhere near the sea. I love the sea; the beach is my favourite place on Earth. I usually go to the beach to get away from things, like the pressures of being the only child of one of the richest, most powerful men in the country.

I'm Lord Percy, age 12, from Province 3.

I don't like being a lord, it's stupid. Everyone's always saying 'do this' or 'don't do that' and expecting me to be perfect. I can't help it if I'm not the same as my father! The beach is the only place I can get away, even if it is only for a few hours every other week.

My father is Lord Poseidon, who rules Province 3. I get along with him pretty well, and we leave each other to their own business. I don't try to interfere with his life; he doesn't try (very often) to interfere with mine.

I guess that's because I'm twelve, and twelve year olds don't really have much to do.

In a way, I suppose that's why I was sort-of excited to be in Province 1 this weekend, even if there weren't any beaches. I knew Lord Zeus's daughter Thalia, and she was cool. My father also told me that there would be some children of the other Lords and Ladies here too, which means I wouldn't be alone.

I heard that Lord Hermes was here too, which meant that he'd bring my friends Connor and Travis. Connor and Travis are identical twins, and I can't really tell them apart. They've both got curly, light brown hair and mischievous hazel eyes. They're hilarious, but as much as I like those guys, I have to watch your back when they're around, in case they pull a prank on me.

I decided to go and find them, but must have taken a wrong turn or something because I didn't think I was in the guest wing of bedrooms anymore. Every corridor looked exactly the same; and every door alike as well.

I didn't want to call out, in case my father or Lord Zeus heard me and came up to tell me off. I hate being told off, and it's always over stupid stuff that always seem to be accidents. I guess you could say I'm quite an unlucky guy.

As there was no one around, I decided to start knocking on some of the doors to see if anyone could help me find my way back to my room. I tried about seven doors until I heard a voice shout "I'm coming!" and the one and only Lady Thalia open the door.

"Oh hey Percy, what are you doing here?"

"Hey Thalia, um, I was looking for Connor and Travis's room but I sort-of got lost. Do you know where they are?" I asked.

Thalia groaned. "You've got to be kidding; please tell me those two aren't here for the weekend!"

Did I mention Thalia hates the twins? Well she does, ever since they hung her toy rabbit from one of the palace flagpoles when she was five.

Yes, Thalia does hold grudges for that long. I always have to remind myself not to get onto her bad side.

"Sorry to break your heart Thals" I replied, and we both laughed.

Thalia was cool, and I'd known her for ages. Our fathers worked quite closely together, so I saw her quite often; she was like a sister to me.

"Hey Perce, why don't you come in? I want you to meet my best friend Annie!"

Another voiced called from inside the room, "Thals! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"Did I mention she's feisty?" Thalia said to me with a wink, as she let me inside her room.

Her bedroom was huge, and a grand, wooden four-poster bed was situated against the centre of the back wall. There were two vast windows either side of a white wardrobe, which Thalia had drawn lightning bolts all over. I guess the lightning bolt is Province 1's symbol, like a wave is my province's.

I looked over to her bed, and saw a petite girl sat cross legged reading a huge book. She had amazing long, honey-blonde hair that hung in ringlets down her shoulders and back. She was slumped over, like she was purposely trying not to sit up straight, and her brow was furrowed in concentration.

"Annie! Stop being such a boring person and say hello to Percy!"

"Hello Percy" she said, without looking up. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit offended. I mean, who did this girl think she was, not even bothering to look at me!

"Um hey, I'm Percy, and you are?" I asked, trying to cover my annoyance.

She looked up for real that time, and my eyes locked with hers. She had the most amazing eyes I'd ever seen; stormy grey. They looked calculating, like she was trying to determine whether I was worth befriending or not, and extremely intimidating.

She got up from the bed slowly, and walked over to me. I thought she was going to hit me or something, but she just said:

"My name's Annabeth. It's nice to meet you Percy", and she held out her hand for me to shake.

I didn't really know what to say, the look she was giving me was just so scary!

"Uh, yeah, um you too" I managed to stutter.

"You haven't really got a way with words, do you?"

"I guess not" I replied, looking sheepishly down to the floor.

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to teach you! We're going to be great friends!" she said, and then skipped back to the bed and reopened her book.

What? One minute she's looking at me like she wants to kill me, the next she's saying that we'll be great friends? That girl was seriously confusing.

**Ta da! That's the chapter. The next chapter will probably be when they're still twelve, but after that I'll skip a couple of years to show their friendship developing. Let me know if you think I should continue this/what you thought of the chapter/anything really! Thanks guys!**

**- anniebethchase**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey again guys! Look, I updated quickly! I was inspired by all of your incredible reviews/favourites/follows! Thank you guys so much!**

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own PJO.**

Chapter Two

_There comes a point in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did, and who always will. - Unknown_

Annabeth's POV

The weekend has been amazing. I spent lots of time with Thalia, as well as getting to know some of the other children of the Lords and Ladies. Much to my own surprise, I spent quite a lot of time with Percy. I guess I didn't give him much credit the first time I met him a few days ago; I presumed he was another stuck-up son of a Lord.

But he wasn't. Percy was the complete opposite, in fact. Yes, he was a bit clueless sometimes, well, most of the time. But he was sweet and funny.

The only thing that bothered me was that he kept annoying me when I tried to read. I'd have finished my architecture book by now if it wasn't for him. Every two seconds he'd say _'Annabeth, what are you reading?'_ or poke my arm or something. By now, I'm sure he's doing it just to annoy me.

I was packing my stuff up into my suitcase in my room alone, because I don't like having help from the maids. I'm capable of doing it myself, so why shouldn't I?

I was humming one of my favourite pieces of music to myself a swaying around the room (something I only do when I'm alone; I don't want anyone seeing me be so girly). I had on one of my favourite dresses, and since I was bored, I decided to go all out and twirl around the room like I used to when I was little with my father.

I remember my first dancing lessons, where I'd stand on my father's feet and we'd dance around the room like idiots. I miss spending time with him like that. As I got older, my parents became less interested in my happiness and spending time with me, and more interested in making me into a 'lady'.

I was dizzy from spinning, though I kept twirling around and around. It was such a childish thing to be doing, but it was so fun!

Until I tripped over my suitcase on the floor that is. But instead of falling into my bag, I fell into a person. Specifically, Percy.

What was he doing here? How long had he been here? Oh dear, I hope he didn't see me dancing like a ballerina around the room; that would be embarrassing.

"What are you doing here Percy?" I asked, annoyed.

"I just came to say goodbye, I'm leaving soon" Phew; maybe he only just got here.

"Oh well, um, bye then" I looked sheepishly at the floor.

"Don't I get a hug?" he asked, with a cheeky smirk on his face. That boy was seriously annoying sometimes.

"Okay" I stepped into his warm embrace. Wow, who knew a boy could give such good hugs?

"I'll write you a letter when I get home so we can keep in touch, would you mind?"

_That's sweet_ I thought, _Percy's a really good friend._

"Yeah definitely" I replied "Tell me more about your province. I've never been to the beach; I'd love to hear more about it."

"I still can't believe you haven't been to the beach Annabeth. It's like you're trying to upset me" he said, and pretended to be offended. "Oh well, it's probably because you spend too much time with your head in a book…Wise Girl."

"Wise Girl?" I asked quizzically, and raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, I mean, you're really clever and you're always reading, so why not?"

"Okay then" I shrugged "Then you're a…a Seaweed Brain!" I laughed.

"Seaweed Brain, really?" he said, still with his cocky smirk plastered across his face.

"Yes. You're so clueless you make me think that you're head is full of seaweed, and you never stop talking about the beach! I think it's quite fitting actually" I told him, and crossed my arms across my chest, proud of myself.

"Okay then. I'll write to you soon then."

"Goodbye Seaweed Brain."

"Bye Wise Girl."

The journey home was much like the one there; uneventful. I finished my book, which I was really proud of, especially since I have this thing called dyslexia, where the letters all get mixed up in my head. I love reading so much though; I try really hard to ignore it.

My mother and I were greeted by welcoming hugs from my brothers, but my father was nowhere to be seen. I guess his work took priority over his family. Again.

Malcolm told me he'd missed me, and Matthew and Bobby ran about playing tag around our suitcases.

"So how's the reading been going?" Malcolm asked, "Have you finished that book I gave you?" Did I mention he does stuff like that? He lends me books and helps me with my architecture blueprints all the time; he's a great brother, isn't he?

"Yeah, I just finished it. I loved the section about ancient Greek buildings, it was fascinating."

This led to an extremely long conversation between us about structural supports and whatnot. My mother left us immediately, off to do some more of her oh-so-important work I suppose. Matthew and Bobby were taken to have some lessons with their teacher, though they were much too hyper for that.

I got changed into my dinner dress at about 7:00, ready for dinner at 7:30. Every day I had to get dressed up into some of my best clothes for dinner. It was annoying, I hate wearing dresses.

Our dining room was much like the one in Zeus's palace, with a long, wooden table in the centre of the room, but ours only had six chairs around it at the moment; one for each of us. My mother sat and one end, my father at the other, and I sat next to Malcolm in the middle of the table, opposite the twins.

Family dinners with us tended to be awkward affairs, since we didn't spend enough time with each other to have things to talk about. I know my brothers pretty well, but my parents? Not so much, and I doubt they know that they know much about me and my brothers either.

The food was delicious, but our conversations were limited to idle chit-chat, about how beautiful the gardens were at this time of year and such. That was, until my mother spoke up.

"So Malcolm, we have arranged for your sixteenth birthday ball to be held a week Saturday"

Malcolm practically spat out his food in shock, but then started choking on it, earning a death glare from my mother.

"Watch your manners! That little outburst was incredibly rude, apologize to the family immediately!" Athena scolded.

"S-sorry" Malcolm stuttered; our mother could be an extremely intimidating lady sometimes.

"It's not like he could help it" I frowned and muttered under by breath.

"What was that Annabeth dear?" my father asked me.

"Um- I, it was nothing father." I hope no one heard what I actually said.

"Yes, anyway" my mother interrupted, "The governess will take you all to purchase new outfits for the occasion tomorrow. Boys, you will get new suits, and Annabeth, a new dress."

Great. Another dress I don't need.

I have hundreds of them! I don't think my mother understands that I don't need a new dress for every occasion. I have so many; I could wear a different one for every day of the year!

"What is this ball for exactly?" Malcolm asked.

"You have recently turned sixteen; so of course, we must present you to the rest of the country!"

Oh yes, how could I have forgotten? After you turn sixteen, you are eligible to get married, so the Lords or Ladies of each county tend to throw a huge ball in celebration of their child's birthday. Said child is presented to the rest of the country, and is usually introduced to someone else whom their parents would approve of them marrying.

Sixteen sounds awfully young to get married to me. When I'm sixteen, I don't want to get married; I want to have an adventure. Four years isn't enough to do all of the things that I have planned! I feel sorry for Malcolm, he is our father's heir, and so has no way of escaping this sort of life.

Not that I'm ungrateful for what I've been given. On the contrary, I'm very fortunate. I just think I'd be better surrounded by normal people who are in charge of their own lives and actions. I can never be myself in front of my parents, because they'd disapprove of the way I talk, the way I sit, and the way I see the world.

The only person who really understands that seems to be Percy. It's weird, but when I spoke to him in Province 1, he seemed to want to escape his way of life too. I mean, he obviously adored his father, even if he could be strict or harsh on Percy sometimes.

Percy sounded like he'd be much better off doing something to do with the sea, instead of living a life full of palace duties and whatnot. I hope he writes to me soon, I really do want to hear more about his province.

I've never been to Province 3, even though it's not far from ours. My mother doesn't get along with his father very well, so they tend to avoid each other. Why they don't get along, I'm not so sure.

That's the thing with most of the Lords and Ladies; most of them dislike each other. Some even hate each other. Athena and Poseidon (Percy's father) have the most obvious hatred for each other, but I can tell that some of the other gods have feuds as well.

I hate not knowing why though. The Lords and Ladies are awfully secretive but often get into disputes about unimportant things, so my father says. He tends to stay away from things like that.

"The Lords and Ladies of our country have personalities like children; they struggle with another for position and power like children fighting over a toy" is what he says.

Percy's POV

"Lord Percy, it's time for you to go to dinner" one of the servants called me from my bedroom door.

I hated dinner with my family. We had to get dressed up every day in stupid suits and stupid shoes just to eat with each other.

Dinners were the only times I really saw my father. He spent most of his time working in his office (which was strictly forbidden to me) or away in other Provinces.

My mother was different. I spent most of my time with her, since I was an only child, and she was my favourite person in the world. She was so kind and gentle, and wasn't afraid to be different and do things that she wasn't supposed to do.

Quite often, my mother and I would sneak into the kitchen and make her famous blue chocolate-chip cookies; my favourite food.

I hadn't seen my mother since we'd got back from Province 1 this morning, so as soon as I saw her I ran to her and gave her a huge hug. I miss her so much when she's not here; I guess you could say she's like my best friend.

"I missed you" she whispered into my hair as we embraced each other tightly.

"I missed you more" I whispered back.

Most boys my age would be embarrassed to be so close to their mothers, afraid of being called a 'mommy's boy' or whatever. Not me though. I think it's stupid for other boys my age to go around acting as if they're adults; constantly talking about fighting and grown-up things that they hardly know anything about.

"How was the trip?" she asked as we were sitting down to eat.

"Quite satisfactory" my father replied, "A large amount of business was taken care of."

My mother nodded and then looked to me.

"What about you Percy, did you enjoy spending time with Thalia?" My mom liked to tease me about Thalia; she thought I had a crush on her, which was completely stupid. Thalia was cool, but she's just my friend. I'd never like her…you know…like _that_.

"Yeah mom it was cool. Travis and Connor were there too, and I met Thalia's friend called Annabeth, who was really nice."

My mom raised her eyebrows at me.

"Annabeth? Tell me more about her" she said with a wink.

"Moooom" I complained, "She's cool, okay? And _just_ a friend. I'm twelve; I don't want a girlfriend or anything yet!"

"Fine Percy, but don't think that I won't tease you about getting a girlfriend until you've got one, because I will continue to do so."

"Anyway, Annabeth's the same age as me, but a couple of months younger I think. She's got long blonde hair and grey eyes and she lives in Province 6 and-"

"Percy!" my father looked up from his plate, suddenly interested in our conversation, "Where did you say this girl was from?"

"Uh, Province 6" I replied, suddenly aware that my father and Annabeth's mother, Athena, were not on best terms.

"I do not want you to be friends with this girl. I suppose she's exactly like her mother; snarky, over-confident and a complete smartass!"

Woah, my dad did not just say that. That wasn't very lord-like (or whatever you call it) at all!

"Okay father" I replied. Tough luck to him. Annabeth was great and there's no way I'm not going to be friends with her.

"I'm sorry to tell you this dear" my mother said to my father, "but an invitation from Province 6 arrived this morning, inviting us all to the sixteenth ball for Athena's eldest son, and if we don't go it could spark further tension."

My father grumbled something inaudible, but then replied, "Oh very well, I suppose we'll have to go. But I am not spending more than five minutes with that good-for-nothing Lady."

_Yes!_ I thought, _I can spend some more time with Annabeth when we go!_

After dinner, I decided to write to Annabeth and tell her about what my father said, and about going to her province for her brother's ball. She briefly mentioned that she had three brothers; one older and two younger, but didn't say much about them.

At least this ball is something I can look forward to, because no doubt will Travis, Connor and Thalia be there as well as some of the other children of the Lords and Ladies that I know.

I found a piece of paper and an ink pen in my nightstand next to my bed, and ran over to my desk to begin writing.

_Dear Annabeth_

_How is it being back in your province? I can tell you don't really like it there, but not to fear! I will be gracing you with my wonderful presence a week from Saturday at your brother's sixteenth ball! Lucky you. I'm very excited to be visiting your province, I've always wondered what it's like there and I can't wait to see it, even if it's not near the sea._

_Also, today at dinner my father told me that I can't be friends with you. He really doesn't like your mother, did you know? Don't worry; I'm not going to listen to him though. I enjoyed meeting you last weekend, and I know you enjoyed meeting me too (haha)._

_From,_

_Percy_

I was pretty pleased with myself. I sound quite intelligent if you ask me, and I know it'll make Annabeth laugh. I like hearing Annabeth laugh, she sounds so happy, and it's never half-hearted, it's always full and cheerful.

Annabeth is cool. I know I've only just met her, but I hope we can be friends. I doubt I'll get to see her much because our parents don't like each other, but I can always write her letters.

I ran downstairs to give my letter to our butler; who I knew would post it first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully Annabeth will get it two days from tomorrow, which means I'll be able to write to her again before the end of the week.

I hope she really does want to be friends with me.

**Sorry about the ending, I think it's a bit rubbish. But oh well! Next chapter will be the ball so you can see Percy and Annabeth together again! Thank you so much for reading and to those of you who have reviewed/favourited/followed this, I seriously can't thank you enough! I love you guys:') And don't forget to review, I like to hear your thoughts!**

**-anniebethchase**


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hey guys! I am so so so sorry for such a late update! I'm completely uninspired to write, also I broke two of my fingers so I couldn't really write much. I'm swamped with revision as well because exams start in 3 weeks and I'm revising like crazy. Sorry again, and I hope you like the chapter!_**

Annabeth's POV

Finally, today is Malcolm's ball! I don't normally look forward to these things, but I could finally see Thalia and Percy again!

I'd been writing to Percy ever since I got back from Province 1, but his letters could never seem to come quickly enough. A few days seemed to go by at a snail's pace, but every time I went downstairs and found a letter with my name on it I practically couldn't contain my excitement.

So today, I was leaping for joy as I walked down to breakfast, where my brothers would be waiting for me. My parents don't usually eat breakfast with us; they say they have too much 'work' to do. I think that they just don't want to spend even more time with us.

Malcolm was eating silently with his head looking down at the table when I walked in. I guess he wasn't looking forward to this evening. It seemed weird that from today, he was legally allowed to get married. He was only sixteen.

I guess that even though we have that law, no one really gets married at that age. It's just when you start to be introduced to possible spouses. I can't imagine Malcolm falling in love, becoming engaged, or having a wedding. He's Malcolm, my older brother.

Meanwhile, Matthew and Bobby were running around the dining room, shouting at the top of their lungs; what about, I don't know. I wasn't surprised; this was the usual behaviour for them.

The manic butterflies in my stomach meant that I didn't have much of an appetite, but I went over and sat next to Malcolm anyway.

"Hey Annabeth" he smiled.

"Hey. You okay?" I asked. He mumbled something inaudible but then nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nervous for later."

"You'll be fine. Don't worry about it. You can always sneak off and hide in your room if you don't like it."

He laughed. "You're so sneaky. I'm sure I'll be okay though. What about you? Thalia's coming tonight, right?"

"Yes!" I nodded vigorously, "And Percy's coming too!"

"Percy? I've never heard of this Percy before." He gave me a pointed look and I blushed so much I must've gone the colour of a tomato.

"Um…yeah. He's Lord Poseidon's son from Province 3. He's really cool."

"Uh huh? Sure." He winked and I nudged him with my shoulder.

"Hate you."

"Love you too."

Several hours later, and I was almost ready. My maid had done my hair for me, and styled it in a long plait down the middle of my back. I liked it; not too grown-up or flashy, just right. There were a few flower hair pins in different sections of the braid, though I couldn't really see them.

All that was left to put on was my dress. This time, I'd been allowed to pick what I was going to wear, after much begging and pleading with my mother.

I'd chosen a light blue party dress. It wasn't too flashy; it only had a sparkly jewel-covered belt as decoration. It came up high on my chest but then lower on my back, with short sleeves.

I smiled as I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I looked older, more mature. Hopefully this will make the grown-ups treat me more like an adult. Okay yes, I am only twelve, but I'm so much more mature and more intelligent than most people my age!

From my room's balcony, I could see the guests arriving in their carriages of all shapes, sizes and decoration. I could tell from the colour and style of the carriages where they'd come from. There was a small, light pink one with tiny heart decorations which must have come from Province 10. Another was medium-sized, and covered in green swirls that looked like branches, presumably from Province 7.

I jumped up in excitement when I saw the grand, silver carriage that I knew came from Province 1. It was huge, easily upstaging all of the others. No surprises there.

I ran down to the stairs, careful not to mess up my hair or crease my dress; my mother would _not_ approve of that. When I got to the grand staircase leading down to the main hall, which would play host to the ball tonight, I slowed down and tried to walk more elegantly, like my governess had told me to.

But when I saw Thalia look up and me from the doors and give me a knowing smirk, I couldn't help but practically sprint down the rest of the staircase and over to where my family stood, greeting guests.

My mother gave me yet another disapproving look (no shocker there), but I was in such a good mood that I ignored her. I nodded to Lord Zeus and caught Thalia's eye, and a silent conversation happened between us. It was always the same thing.

_Looking good in that dress Thals._

_Shut up Annie. You hate them too._

_Yeah but at least I look normal in them. You look like a racoon in drag._

1-0 Annabeth.

I smirked at Thalia, and quietly snuck away from the door so we could catch up. Okay, it had only been two weeks since we'd seen each other, but stuff still happened. I wanted to tell her about Percy and how cool he was and how we'd be writing letters but she beat me to it.

"So how's lover boy?"

"Sorry, who?" I said confused.

"Who do you think? Percy, you dumbo."

I avoided looking her in the eye as my cheeks went rosy. Everyone was making me embarrassed about Percy today! First Malcolm, now Thalia.

Yes, Percy's my friend. He's cool and everything, but _Lover Boy_? Ew.

She nudged my shoulder, a silent declaration that it was now 1-1.

"Hey guys!" I turned around, knowing that the voice was familiar; and practically smiled from ear to ear.

"Percy!" I pretty much jumped onto him whilst I hugged him.

He laughed into my shoulder at my enthusiasm. "Hey Annie!"

"Do not call me Annie." I pulled back and glared at him. "You're turning into Thalia."

You know what they did then? They high fived. I swear those two were out to get me.

"Hey Perce," Thalia said, "S'up?"

For someone who had been brought up in the most ostentatious palace in the whole country, Thalia sure didn't talk like she had been brought up to.

"Not much really. It didn't take long to get here; we're only in the next province." He shrugged. "I've been looking forward to this since we got the invite though!"

"Me too, I couldn't wait to see baby Annie again!"

"Thalia! You're only one year older than me!" I scrunched up my face in annoyance.

"Just kidding Annabeth, calm down." Thalia retorted.

"So..um, what do you guys want to do? Presumably you don't want to stay here to be constantly glared at by all these adults. We can't go up to my room without being caught, but we can go into the garden if you want." I said, unsure of what we could do.

"Garden sounds great" Percy replied, "I think I just saw Travis and Connor go outside with a few others.

Sure enough, the troublesome twins were wreaking havoc on the patio outside, jumping off the steps leading down to the gardens, and generally annoying everyone. But I saw a flash of blonde hair appear behind one of the fountains, and realized it wasn't just one set of twins.

"Matthew! Bobby! Get over here now!" I shouted. I didn't care about Connor and Travis, but if Matthew and Bobby were found to be making a mess of themselves with my friends, I knew I'd get the blame for it.

"But Annabeth!" they whined simultaneously.

"No buts! Come on guys, I don't mind you having fun, but you know I'll get the blame for it if mother finds out."

"Then she won't find out!" yelled Bobby, running off around the fountain again.

"Nope!" laughed Matthew, as he followed his brother. These two were impossible.

"No one will tell her!" they chimed together.

"Well I'd rather not take the risk!"

Percy nudged me, "Aw come on, they're just having a bit of fun. Stop being such a grumpy pants."

"Grumpy pants? Seriously? You're twelve Percy, not five."

"Sorry _mom_" he rolled his eyes at me.

I stuck my tongue out in response.

"Now who's five Annabeth."

"You're impossible"

"I try my best"

_Ugh!_ He's so annoying! I scowled at him and stormed off into the gardens.

I wasn't sure if I was happy when Percy followed me or not. I could hear his footsteps behind me but I didn't turn around. I was mad at him, and I wanted him to know it. I'm so stubborn; I knew I wouldn't end up talking to him until he apologized. I'm stubborn like that.

I headed straight to my favourite place in the gardens, a small circular clearing which had a small, stone fountain in the middle. In the summer, like now, the trees surrounding the clearing were amazingly green, with flowers of all shapes, sizes and colours. It was incredible.

"Oh come on Annabeth, I was only joking. Learn to have a bit of fun" Percy whined.

"I know how to have fun!" I retorted.

"Okay chill. It was just a joke. There's no need to get so worked up about it!"

"I'm not worked up about it!"

Okay, maybe I was a little. I just hated it when people said that I don't have fun. Or that I take everything too seriously. There's nothing wrong with that!

It was silent for a few minutes after that. I guess I just needed a bit of time to calm down. Yes, it was a stupid argument over nothing, but I was still angry. It wasn't awkward, tension-filled silence though, even in the middle of an argument. We both just kind of sat there, trying to calm ourselves down. Well, that was more me than Percy.

He was so relaxed all the time! He was carefree and reckless, and never thought about the consequences to his actions; the complete opposite to me, which is why I guess I'm so drawn to him.

Wait _what?_ _Annabeth, you did not just think that. That's weird._

Stupid conscience telling me what I can and can't think. Leave me alone.

Percy's POV

Finally, I just couldn't take it.

"I'm sorry Annabeth. I didn't mean to upset you."

"It's okay Percy, I know you didn't, it's okay."

Phew, she wasn't still mad at me then. I'd decided that I didn't like it when Annabeth was mad at me. I felt awful when I saw her face after I'd told her to have more fun; she looked weaker, more defeated. Not the strong, independent Annabeth I'm used to.

Okay, I may have only known her for a few weeks, but it felt longer than that. The postal service was really quick, so I got a letter off her every other day. I guess we sort-of knew each other pretty well.

She looked up at me and smiled, and our eyes locked. Green on grey.

Did I mention that Annabeth's eyes are amazing? Intimidating, yes. But amazing.

She gave me a weak smile and held her hand out for a handshake.

"Friends again?"

Was she serious? You could tell that she'd been brought up by Lady Athena. She was so formal sometimes.

I gave her a smirk and pulled her into a tight hug. I think Annabeth is my best friend, at least I hope so. I'm not very good at making friends, but she was so easy for me to get along with, even if we are complete opposites.

After a few stunned seconds, she hugged back, and I smiled into her hair. It smelled incredible, like lemons. I almost loved the smell as much as the smell of the sea.

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts (again, stupid Percy), that I forgot to answer her question.

"Of course we're friends Wise Girl. We never stopped being friends."

"Wise Girl?" she inquired, "Where did that come from?"

I didn't really know the answer to that, it just kind of came out. It suited her I think.

"I don't know. It just seems to fit. You're a girl"

"Great observational skills there Percy" Jeez, she's so difficult.

"Shut up" I poked my tongue out at her, "So you're a girl, and you're really clever. Also your Province's sacred animal is an owl right? Owls stand for wisdom I think."

"Wow, I'm impressed. I didn't think a Seaweed Brain like you would know that"

"Seaweed Brain"

"Yeah, Seaweed Brain. You always talk about the sea, and sometimes you're so dense I think you're brain must be made of seaweed."

"Okay then."

I guess she was right. My mother tells me I can be extremely clueless at times.

"Well then Wise Girl, shall we go back to the party?"

Annabeth sighed audibly and drooped her shoulders. Her playful smile faded from her face.

"I guess so."

"No Annabeth, we don't have to if you don't want to." I didn't want her to be upset again. She was much more 'Annabeth' when she was happy.

"No really we should-"

I cut her off. "No Annie. We shouldn't. Not if you don't want to. We can have our own party!"

She raised her eyebrows questioningly. "Really Percy? Our own party?"

"Sure" I replied "Why not?"

She rolled her eyes at me and I smirked in response. I do that a lot.

"Come on then!" I grabbed her hand and pulled her into a space.

"What are we doing?"

"Dancing, of course!" I held out my hands for her, but she just looked at me. "What?"

"You have to bow to me first."

"No chance, Wise Girl. You're my friend. I'm not being that formal."

"Well then I won't dance with you."

_She really is impossible._ I sighed as she looked at me expectantly. I could tell that she knew I'd cave.

"Fine" I grumbled, and took a step back from her so that I wouldn't head butt her in the stomach. That seemed like the sort of thing I'd do. I bowed slowly.

"Lady Annabeth. May I have the honour of having this dance?"

She curtseyed and laughed at me.

"Of course Lord Perseus"

Perseus. My full name. I hated it. I'm not Perseus, I'm Percy. Just Percy.

I shot Annabeth an evil glance but took her hands and we began to dance. I could hear the soothing music from the main ball, since I guess we weren't very far away from the palace.

Neither of us really had much practice at dancing, so we kept tripping over each other's feet and laughing like idiots. This was the Annabeth I loved. She was so carefree and relaxed.

I was smiling from ear to ear and twirling Annabeth around and around, so much so that we had to stop because she was getting dizzy.

We carried on prancing around the fountain, Annabeth laughing like a madman and me chuckling and shaking my head every time she stood on my feet. At least we were both as bad as each other at dancing.

I was so high on adrenaline that I took no notice of the sound of footsteps approaching, even though the back of my mind was shouting that there was someone coming. I guess Annabeth didn't hear them either, because we kept twirling and dancing around until I accidentally put my foot too far forward and trip her up, causing her to fall right on top of me.

This just made Annabeth laugh even harder. Great to know she finds my pain funny.

"Find my pain amusing, do you Wise Girl?" I said as I poked her in the arm.

"Very" she replied.

Suddenly, someone coughed from the other side of the clearing, causing us both to spring up onto our feet and stand about five meters apart from each other, blushing.

Why was I embarrassed? Okay yes, Annabeth had been on top of me, but it was an accident! It's not like we were- No. We're twelve for god's sake!

When I looked up, I was given the most evil glare I think I've ever received in my whole life. Who by? The one person who I think will probably end up hating me more than anyone in the world.

Athena.

**Ta da! Again, I'm so so so sorry for such a late update. Hopefully the next chapter will be up by the end of the week. Thank you so much for all your reviews/favourites/follows! I can't thank you enough:') Please remember to review, I appreciate every single one, no matter how long/short!:')**

**Also if you guys reviewed before but I haven't sent you a PM in reply, thank you so much for reviewing and I'm sorry for not replying!**

**Thank you guys! And remember to R&R!**

**-anniebethchase**


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